Keep a velvet rope around your data as it travels through the vastness of the internet - Version 1.0.0

The Internet can be a dangerous place for your information. Sure, you are only one of hundreds of millions of users online at any given time, so why would your particular data be in any danger? Well, why not?

Take this analogy for example. I could leave the windows open in my house when I leave for work every day, and for years nothing could happen. One day though, someone may choose to enter through that open window and I might just get burned. Nice analogy, that windows idea actually... given the easy availability of freeware software that can capture internet bound traffic on both wired and wireless networks, the idea that someone may at this very moment be sniffing around your Windows installation to see what they can get is not as remote as we'd all like to think.

This article is intended to deal with creating Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to connect a home network with the outside world. In the course of this slightly more advanced PCstats guide we will discuss the nature of VPNs, the dangers of the Internet, and the encryption methods involved in securing yourself from them.

It is assumed that you have a basic knowledge of the meaning behind networking terms such as IP addresses, Local and wide area networks, firewalls, etc. If you are looking for a primer on basic networking concepts, please see the following PCstats Guides first; Home Networking and File Sharing, Internet Connection Sharing, Remote Access to Computers..